From the Editor, May 2012

Dear Reader,

It brings me great pleasure to welcome you back to Young Scientist!  As a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary research journal for high school students engaged in research at Vanderbilt University, volume two of Young Scientist promises an array of cutting edge scientific research performed by the next generation of scientific leaders.

Authors, reviewers, editors, patrons – we all were delighted about the enthusiastic reception of our inaugural volume ofYoung Scientist in spring 2011!Truly, the student authors from the first volume extended a tough challenge to subsequent generations. I am happy to report, this year’s authors rose to the occasion by not only submitting high quality research that went through a rigorous reviewing process but also by increasing the number submitted and accepted articles! Now, there are even more noteworthy articles to enjoy.

Each article has been independently and anonymously reviewed by three graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows at Vanderbilt University to ensure the integrity and quality of this publication. These reviewers spanned a broad spectrum of specialties and I thank them for their time and commitment to this process. In this issue, Young Scientisttopics include studying molecular pathways in acute myelogenous leukemia for drug targeting, a novel method for producing buckypaper with carbon nanotubes, reconstructing climate change and diet in the ancient Peruvian Andes, and optimizing robotic insertion of cochlear implantations.

Have I captured your interest? Well, there are plenty of remarkable articles in this volume written by these dedicated student authors who have truly earned their scientific stripes. I would like to thank these students who have worked tirelessly to submit their work to Young Scientist; your hard work and insight are truly inspirational.

This volume of Young Scientist would not be possible without continued support from many individuals. I would like to take a moment to thank our patrons for their continued support. These individuals and foundations have recognized the importance of scientific discovery and communication at all levels. To the principal investigators, who mentored these students during their research experience: I thank you for your support and guidance. You have encouraged and inspired the enthusiastic pursuit of science demonstrated by these authors. Finally, I would like to thank the editorial board, Drs. Chris Vanags and Jens Meiler, who have once again helped to give these gifted students an opportunity to be recognized for their talent and dedication.

I hope you enjoy this second volume of Young Scientist. Please enjoy the articles presented here.

Thanks again and enjoy!

Mary E. Loveless, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief

Associate Editors:
Chris Vanags, Ph.D. and Jens Meiler, Ph.D.